# Electric heat in automobiles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276 "2013-01-06T19:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276/61 "2013-01-11T08:05:09Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > so, they were unreliable. > > PROTIP: being able to (constantly) fix your car doesn’t make your car reliable. > > this isn’t really a ringing endorsement of anything. The Beetle was a piece of shit; the only reason people cared about it is because there wasn’t anything else like it. To me being reliable means will it run when I expect it to run. When I took my 67 VW camper to see friends accross the county, from Calif to Michigan, Ohio, Kansas and back I did not worry if it would make or not. The only problem in that two week trip was a flat tire. But I had built the engine my self two years earlier and did the services every 3000 miles. One of the reasons I purchased the VW was I could work on it and I could afford to work on it. I traided in a 74 Comet for the VW. It took me 8 hours just to change the spark plugs on the comet. And the next time I took it to a tune up shop to change the spark plugs. It took the mechanic over 2 hours. And after words the mechanic told me he would pay for the next service if I took it to his compeditor. If ignoring taking care of an air cooled engine and having it break down makes it unreliable the they were unreliable. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276/62 "2013-01-11T14:48:43Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > My girlfriend’s car has electric heaters in the seats than can be turned on right away after the engine starts. They’re much more effective at heating people than the air heater is, so it’s a more effective solution for the period of time when the engine hasn’t made a huge surplus of heat. **THIS** Seriously, the problem found its solution years ago and this is it. They warm up in a minute and heat your core like no forced air system ever has. In Calgary, and I would have thought any place with actual winter, heated car seats are one of those options that are a no-brainer. They once were a luxury car thing but are prolific now (just checked - available for a Cruz, but frugal Toyota doesnt offer them for the Yaris). You can buy completely functional cigarette lighter full seat warmers for 10 bucks at Crappy Tire. Ive bought them as high bonus cheap xmas gifts for women many times. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276/63 "2013-01-11T16:30:02Z")
I’m currently driving a plug-in hybrid (C-Max Energi) and it is notable how much the all-electric range is decreased when I need to have the defroster running. The electric seat warmer is indeed ample to keep me toasty (although the rear seats do not have them). If you need to heat up a volume of air it probably ends up less inefficient to run the ICE (at least a bit) and use its waste heat. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276/64 "2013-01-11T16:48:09Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > **THIS** > > Seriously, the problem found its solution years ago and this is it. They warm up in a minute and heat your core like no forced air system ever has. > > In Calgary, and I would have thought any place with actual winter, heated car seats are one of those options that are a no-brainer. They once were a luxury car thing but are prolific now (just checked - available for a Cruz, but frugal Toyota doesnt offer them for the Yaris). You can buy completely functional cigarette lighter full seat warmers for 10 bucks at Crappy Tire. Ive bought them as high bonus cheap xmas gifts for women many times. How many watts do these things consume? The auxilary plug in my Saturn is wired to the circuit with the engine management computer. I found this out at 4am on a highway a number of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276/65 "2013-01-11T16:55:57Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I’m currently driving a plug-in hybrid (C-Max Energi) and it is notable how much the all-electric range is decreased when I need to have the defroster running. The electric seat warmer is indeed ample to keep me toasty (although the rear seats do not have them). If you need to heat up a volume of air it probably ends up less inefficient to run the ICE (at least a bit) and use its waste heat. The C-Max has an electric A/C compressor which is powered by the high-voltage battery; given the compressor runs when Defrost is on, that’s not surprising. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-heat-in-automobiles/646276.md?page=3)